Finding a good story idea is a bit like mining for gold. You have to dig through tons of rubble, sift through mountains of silt, and still only come up with one or two nuggets worth writing about.
It’s the hardest part of reporting — far harder than writing or interviews, actually. You have to find a news hook, narrow its scope, ferret out sources, and identify the angle that will most appeal to your audience. But done right, it can make the job of reporting far simpler, and far more productive. Here’s how:
– Hook ‘em: The most critical piece of a story idea is the “hook.” That is, the timely event or happening that your readers need to know about. If there’s no “news” then there’s simply no story. Even the most interesting human interest feature or profile should have a current tie-in to justify your readers’ taking time to read it. For example: A recent story showcased a university’s “no-shaving” campaign to raise awareness about men’s health issues. The article was interesting, and even timely, but lacked any real news. The story didn’t indicate whether the campaign had raised any funds for disease prevention, convinced more men to make appointments for preventive screenings, or actually done anything besides encouraging men grow their beards.
Now, had the campaign created a competition for “curliest beard” and raised money from participants — that would have been news. Fun, and light, but still news.
– Narrow your scope. The broader the story, the harder it is to write. Believe it or not, the more specific — and niche-driven — your story idea, the easier it will be to manage. For example, a story about women’s struggles with body image is a huge topic. To cover that landscape, you’d have to tackle everything from eating disorders to the effects of pop culture on body image to the dietary habits of American women…the list goes on. But a more narrow topic, like one recently published on UPIU about college women taking ADHD medicines to control appetite — now that’s a story that you can wrap your hands around (and bring in under your word count, and on deadline).
Don’t be afraid to tackle broad topics or take on big issues of the day. Just be sure to carve out a slice of that pie that you can handle. And don’t try to eat the whole thing in one sitting.
– Target your sources. No sources…no story. Period. If you have a great idea, but can’t figure out who to talk to, or gain access to them for interviews, it’s a non-starter. Think through exactly who would be your primary sources, and sketch out a plan for getting in touch. For example, a story about organic farming might sound interesting for your eco-friendly college newspaper, but if you live in Chicago, and can’t get out to talk with organic farmers, or find any on-campus restaurants serving organic menu items, you’re going to have a hard time bringing that story in.
– Identify your audience’s stake in the story. The news, or timely event, needs to be framed up in a way that compels your reader to keep reading. You need to know who your audience is. For example, if you write for a high school newspaper, then the story about using ADHD medicines for weight control might focus more on school response to the problem…school policies on prescription drugs teacher comments…students discussing their struggles with junk food, peer pressure, etc. But if you write for Parenting magazine, your story would target issues like how to identify if your child is taking Ritalin … where to obtain counseling help for her … what to say to your child about body image … or what the legal consequences can be if she’s caught in possession of prescription drugs.
Important: This list is an all-or-nothing proposition. If you’re seriously struggling with any of these tasks, it may be time to re-think your story idea altogether.
